Steve,
I think so, I mentioned earlier that I thought taking the plate out of it's dovetail and drive it onto the hooks(ring locked upside down in a vise)with a drift and small hammer.This won't work if there is no plate(the solid ones I've seen were intended for the barrel of a bolt gun, ahead of the action. A small "truckload tool sale" hydraulic press(6 ton size)is not very expensive, and useful for a lot of things. A press like this is just an "H" frame with a smsll bottle jack supplying the power.You figured out, all by your self, how to make workable claw mounts, there is no doubt you could make one.
Mike